Paul McCartney ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ review: Macca takes a charming trip to the past

Nostalgia, it’s fair to say, can be the trickiest of affections to tackle. On one hand, it’s lovely to look back at past glories, but it’s equally true that the weight of those memories can sometimes be the very thing that stops you from pushing forward.

Unless, of course, you’re Sir Paul McCartney. The concept of looking back at what you’ve achieved is something of a bigger deal when you’re half of the most successful songwrit-ing partnership of all time, and one quarter of the most celebrated band of all time.

It’s this sense of longing for days gone by which defines Macca’s latest album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, aptly named after the area of Liverpool where he spent some of his formative childhood years. In looking back and reflecting on his storied past, McCartney has created an album that will lift your spirits but also, at times, gently break them too.

Nowhere is this more evident than on lead single ‘Days We Left Behind’, a wistful ballad which sees him gently reflect on his earliest meetings with John Lennon. “We met at Forthlin Road / And wrote a secret code / To never be spoken / I stand by what I said / The promise that I made / Will never be broken,” he offers. Hearing McCartney pay trib-ute to his late, great mate will always be moving, but here – with McCartney still going strong at 83 – it’s hard not to get a bit dewy-eyed as you picture an alternative reality where Lennon might have been around to return the sentiment.

There are spirit-affirming songs too. The country rock-tinged ‘Down South’ sees Macca reflect on his days spent hitchhiking with George Harrison, while the charming ‘Home to Us’ is billed as the first ever Starr-McCartney duet, where his Fabs bandmate joins him on drums and vocals for a rollicking reflection on his humble beginnings.

More experimental moments stop the album from becoming completely devoted to nostalgia. Chief among these is the sexy and slinking ‘As You Lie There’, which came to life after McCartney first met Andrew Watt – the go-to producer for seasoned rockers such as the Stones and Elton John – and chanced upon a chord that even Macca didn’t recognise. It’s a rollicking ode to a childhood crush and proof that the fire in McCartney’s belly is refusing to burn out anytime soon.

It’s testament to this unfettered power that your heartstrings are tugged when you least expect it, delivering something of a gut punch. That’s the case on the stirring ‘Salesman Saint’, which the man himself has described as an ode to his parents. “They couldn’t take anymore, but they had to carry on,” he reflects of their dogged determination to raise a family in deprived post-war Liverpool. In looking back at his past, McCartney has delivered an album of intimate recollections that reminds us of just how much he has shaped the musical fabric of the world and continues to do so now. Thank God those parents of his did carry on…